Reflections
by lilnitenurse
Summary: Comparisions between two sets of brothers in similar tpye situations.


REFLECTIONS

Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.

BEGINNINGS

Ed giggled happily as he rode into his mother's bedroom on his favorite spot, his father's shoulders. He looked over in wonder and curiosity at the squirming bundle in her arms. "Mama?" he asked, pointing at the bundle.

Trisha smiled at him. "There's my big man! Come here, and I'll show you your new brother." She patted a spot on the bed beside her. Taking his cue, Hohenheim set Ed down on the spot, then carefully took the baby from Trisha's arms and placed him on Ed's lap, supporting the baby with his own hands.

"Ed, this is your brother Alphonse." He said with a proud smile.

Ed poked Al's tiny nose with his finger. Al yawned and looked at his brother, causing Ed to giggle.

b. Russell ran into the house and up to his parents' bedroom, where his mother laid in bed with a small bundle. "Mommy! Daddy said you have a present for me! Is that it?" he asked excitedly, pointing at the bundle.

Beth Tringham smiled. "Yes, he's your new brother. Come closer and see him."

Russell went to a chair next to her and sat down. Nash walked in and smiled. "You're fast, little guy." He went to kiss his wife on the cheek, then took the baby and placed him gently in Russell's arms. "Russell, this is Fletcher, your brother."

Russell put his hand gently on his brother's chest. "He's so tiny."

Nash nodded. "That's why he needs lots of love and protection. And he'll need to be well cared for."

Russell kissed the baby's nose, then looked up at his parents. "Can I help take care of him?"

Nash smiled. "Of course you can, son." He ruffled his hair.

2. STORMS

a. Three-year-old Ed shuddered , having been awakened by a loud clap of thunder. He peeked out from under his blanket and saw a bright flash of light. He immediately hid back under his blanket, then he heard a whimpering sound. He looked over and saw Al in the other bed, shaking with as much fear as he was.

Ed took a deep breath, then ran over to Al's bed. Scared or not, he had to protect his little brother. He tunneled under Al's blanket and put an arm around him. "'s okay Al, I'll save you." he whispered to Al.

"W-want Mommy." Al whimpered, but moved closer to Ed.

Ed looked around worriedly, not daring to come out or yell. "Mommy's fighting the monster outside, so I'm staying here to protect you."

"O-okay." Al put an arm around Ed, knowing Ed will help him through this ordeal.

b. Nash sat up in his bed as he read his book . He happened to look up as a loud clap of thunder resounded through, just in time to see the small figure of his 3 year old son running into the room and next to where Nash was.

"What is it, Fletcher?" he asked, putting his book aside.

"Daddy, the storm's scary. Can I stay here for a while?" he replied, his big blue eyes gazing up at his father.

Nash smiled, remembering how he made the same plea to his own father years ago. "Of course you can. Come up here." He scooted over, then helped Fletcher up into the bed. "Do you think we should make some room for your brother?"

Fletcher shook his head. "Brother's big and brave. Nothing scares him, not even thunderstorms."

Just then another loud crash of thunder sounded, followed by the sound of running feet as 7 year old Russell ran over to Nash's bed and leaped in, holding onto both Nash and Fletcher.

3. FLU SEASON

a. "But Mommy, I wanna play with Brother." 5 year old Al protested .

Trisha smiled at him sadly. "I know you do, Sweetie, but your brother's sick. He needs to rest."

"Well, can I play with him when he wakes up from his nap?" Al asked hopefully.

"No, because you'll get sick too." Trisha ruffled his hair. She knows Al would eventually get sick too regardless. Siblings do tend to share illnesses. But she was trying to delay it as much as possible.

Al sighed and went out to play with Winry, their childhood friend. He came back some time later and peeked into Ed's room, where Ed was reading a book in bed.

"Brother? You okay?" Al walked over to Ed.

"Al, what are you doing? You wanna get sick too?" Ed frowned, but smiled inwardly at the company. He was getting awful lonely.

Al looked at him sadly. " No, but you looked so sad and lonely, and I wanted to cheer you up."

Ed smiled at him, motioning him to come over. Can this little guy read minds or what? "You wanna come play cards or something?"

Al smiled brightly, jumping onto the bed next to Ed. "Let's practice some alchemy!"

Trisha walked by and noticed the two brothers playing. She just sighed and went to the phone to ask the doctor for some extra medicine.

b. Russell carefully brought in a mug of herbal tea to Fletcher's room, then set it down on his nightstand. He looked over and felt his 5 year old brother's forehead like he saw their father do, only to pull his hand away at the heat. "Fletcher? You awake?" he asked worriedly.

Fletcher opened his eyes at his brother's voice. "Brother? There's an orange and yellow spotted kitten on my bed, and he's laughing at me. Make him quit?"

Russell looked over and didn't see a thing, but he knew from experience how fevers make you see things. He frowned at the spot Fletcher was pointing. "Leave my brother alone!" he growled.

Fletcher smiled a little. "Thank you, Brother…Brother? Aren't you going to get sick by being here?" he asked worriedly.

Russell gently patted his head. "Not really. Mom and Dad take care of you, and they're not sick."

"You're right, Brother. And you're taking care of me, so you won't be sick either." Fletcher never questioned his brother's logic, convinced that his hero has all the answers.

4. INJURY

a. Four year old Ed chased a toad in his yard while Al took his nap, not knowing said little brother had just woke up and is running over to join him.

He had just caught one when he heard a thump behind him, followed by the anguished cry of his little brother. He spun around and ran to Al, who was sitting down and crying from a newly bruised knee.

"Shh, don't cry, Al. It's ok. Look, I'll kiss it for you." He kissed Al's bruised knee like he's seen their mom do many times.

Al smiled through his tears and hugged Ed, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Tank you, Bubba."

b. Four year old Fletcher giggled as he climbed up a tree like he's seen his big brother do many times. Which is why he couldn't understand why the aforementioned brother was yelling at him to come down.

"Fletcher! Come down, you're gonna get hurt!" Russell yelled. He sighed. Looks like he'll have to go up and get him. He was about to start climbing when he heard Fletcher yell as he slipped and fell toward the ground. Thinking quickly, Russell held out his arms and caught Fletcher before he could hit the ground.

"There see? Now what would've happened if I hadn't.." he stopped when he saw Fletcher burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Brother." Fletcher whimpered.

His anger forgotten, Russell smiled and kissed his cheek. "Hey, don't cry, Fletch. It's ok, you didn't get hurt.That's the important part."

"TH-thank you, Brother." Fletcher smiled a little.

5. MISTAKE

a. Al looked at Ed, feeling a bit uneasy. "Brother? Are you sure we should be doing this?

Ed frowned at Al . "Al, we both agreed to do this. Trust me, nothing will go wrong." He patted Al's shoulder, then continued the finishing touches on the circle.

Al smiled at his brother. "You're right, Brother. Soon we will be hugging Mom again!"

"That's the spirit, Al." Ed smiled at him as he and Al positioned their hands.

b. Fletcher looked up at Russell worriedly."Brother, are you sure we should be doing this?"

Russell ruffled his hair. "Not only we should do this, but we have to. Remember, this is the only way we can continue Dad's work. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

Fletcher sighed, but smiled, knowing Russell will keep his word. "I trust you, Brother."

Russell kissed his forehead."That's the spirit, Fletch." He then rang the doorbell of the Mugear mansion.

THE END

MARCH 26.2008


End file.
